How to Go From 80% to 100% VA Disability Rating
Living with a service-related disability rated at 80 percent isn’t easy. Your disabling condition leaves you with significant impairment and makes any kind of work very difficult. VA disability benefits help relieve the financial and medical burden. However, your rating may not adequately reflect how your condition affects your life. Thus, you may not be receiving the full benefits you deserve.
There are ways to increase your VA disability rating from 80 to 100 percent and secure additional benefits. If you are a veteran with an 80 percent rating and suspect you may qualify for a higher rating, Veterans Guide is here to help.
VA Disability Ratings Explained
The Department of Veterans Affairs evaluates the medical documentation and evidence of your condition’s impact on your life to assign you a disability rating. This rating represents the percentage decrease in your overall ability to function due to your condition. VA disability benefits are based on your rating, though a few other factors can play a role.
If you have more than one condition, the VA will assign a combined disability rating to calculate your benefit payments. If your condition worsens or if you develop a new service-connected disability, you can file with the VA to adjust your disability rating and the benefits you receive.
There are two pathways to obtaining a rating increase: One involves the combined rating system, and the other relates to unemployability.
How VA Evaluates Total Disability Ratings – 100%
To get a 100 percent VA disability rating, you must submit evidence that you are completely and totally disabled. The disability might stem from a single or multiple service-connected conditions. VA evaluators evaluate several factors to determine the severity of your disability.
Medical Evidence and Functional Impairment
The VA must receive medical evidence demonstrating that your condition makes you unable to work to warrant a 100 percent rating. Depending on your condition, guidelines may require that your condition meet certain explicit criteria.
Medical evidence for your condition can include doctor’s notes, medical tests, and medical imaging. You can also keep a daily log tracking how your disability affects your daily life.
Hospitalization and Convalescence
You may receive a temporary total disability rating if you spent more than 21 days in the hospital for your service-related condition, are recovering from surgery for that condition, or have one or more major joints immobilized in a cast.
If your condition requires frequent hospital stays, you may be eligible for an extra-schedular 100 percent disability rating, even if your condition doesn’t otherwise qualify. Talk to a VA attorney for more information.
Combined Ratings and Bilateral Factor
If you have an 80 percent rating and have developed other conditions related to your primary disabling condition, you might be eligible to file a claim for a secondary condition to boost your overall rating.
If you have multiple disabling conditions, they may combine to reach a 100 percent disability rating. These can be multiple conditions directly stemming from your military service, or they may be secondary conditions caused or exacerbated by your underlying service-related condition, such as debilitating headaches caused by tinnitus.
The VA evaluates each condition separately and uses its combined rating charts to calculate a single disability rating.
If your injury affects both sides of your body, the VA uses a special formula to calculate your disability. The disability ratings for the left and right sides are combined, and 10 percent of that value is added. For instance, if the combined rating of an injury to both arms is 50 percent, the bilateral factor increases your disability rating to 55 percent.
TDIU as a Path to 100%
Total disability based on individual unemployability benefits, or TDIU, could be an option for you if you are unable to hold a job as a result of your disability. TDIU entitled the recipient to the same benefits as a 100 percent rating, even if their rating is lower.
To qualify for TDIU, you must establish that your service-connected disability prevents you from securing or keeping gainful employment. In addition, you must have one disability rated at least 60 percent disabling or multiple disabilities with one rated at least 40 percent. Those with an 80 percent rating already meet the ratings requirement.
However, if you don’t meet those guidelines but are still unable to find work, you can apply for extraschedular consideration. The VA grants such consideration in rare cases when “the disability is so exceptional or unusual due to such related factors as marked interference with employment or frequent periods of hospitalization.”
Steps to Increase Your VA Disability Rating from 80% to 100%
Increasing an 80 percent VA disability rating to 100 percent can take some time and effort, but following a few tips can make you more successful:
- Gather Evidence. Document how your condition affects your daily life. Include your pain levels and mobility challenges.
- Work With Your Doctor. Talk to your doctor about additional tests and consider getting a new nexus letter.
- Take a New C&P Exam. If your disability has worsened, a new VA exam can show that.
- Consider Secondary Service-Connected Disabilities. If you have a condition caused by a service-related disability, you may be eligible to receive a disability rating for that condition. For instance, a service-related chronic pain condition may lead to disabling mental health conditions.
- Request a Reevaluation or File a Claim for Increase. Once you have the necessary documentation, you can apply for a reevaluation of your rating or file a claim for a secondary condition.
- Appeal Denials With Experienced Representation. Denial isn’t the last word when it comes to your disability rating. A VA disability lawyer can help you strengthen your case and mount a successful appeal.
Common Challenges and How To Overcome Them
Many veterans fail in their attempts to increase their disability rating because they don’t have enough medical evidence. Working with a VA attorney can help you get tests, imaging, and other proof of your condition worsening.
Make sure your medical exams address the guidelines provided by the VA for your illness. A disability attorney can help you find a specialist doctor with VA experience to provide a nexus letter, which often makes all the difference in a VA disability claim.
Mistakes do happen in the course of calculating your rating, especially if you have multiple disabilities or special circumstances that apply to your condition. Read your rejection letter thoroughly to double-check the calculations. You are entitled to appeal if you don’t feel the VA decided your case properly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Increasing your disability rating is often a challenging process. If you don’t see your question answered here, a qualified VA lawyer can provide more information.
Can I Get 100% VA Disability Without a New Diagnosis?
If your condition has worsened, you can file for an increased disability rating. Whether you can get a 100 percent rating depends on whether your specific disability can be rated that highly.
How Long Does It Take to Increase From 80% to 100%?
As of April 2025, the processing time for VA disability claims is an average of 131.5 days, or about four and a half months. If you have a particularly complex claim, processing times could be longer.
What if My Claim Is Denied?
If the VA denies your disability claim, you have the right to an appeal. An experienced VA attorney can help you choose the right strategy and gather needed information.
Can Combined Ratings Push Me to 100%?
Yes, you can reach 100 percent with a combined rating from two or more qualifying disabilities.
How Does TDIU Affect My Disability Rating?
While TIDU pays the same benefits as a 100 percent disability rating, it does not impact your actual disability rating.
Conclusion: How to Go from 80% to 100% VA Disability
VA benefits help veterans and their families live happy, healthy, and meaningful lives. Knowing how to increase your VA disability from 80 to 100 percent can protect your financial future and even open doors to additional benefits. You earned your benefits with your service and have the right to access them.
At Veterans Guide, we know how challenging the VA disability process can be—many of us have even navigated it ourselves. We can connect you with skilled and experienced advocates who can pursue the benefits you deserve. We can also help with other benefits, such as Social Security Disability Insurance.
If you want to know how to increase an 80 percent rating to 100 percent, contact us today.
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